6.8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
2004 vintage, I assume, hand bottled by Footbalm and sampled with MartinT, Muzzlehatch, Rastacouere and Tiggmtl on 3/25/05. For being bottled from a growler, this sure did pour a wonderful tan head atop a dark black/dark-mahogany brown body. The head was about one-finger high and quickly diminishing, probably due more to the alcohol and barrel-aging. Aroma has notes of vanilla, sour-mash whiskey, lightly charred oak, thick, salty chocolate and bitter black malt. Light alcohol esters are perceived, but it is not anything out of the ordinary for a barrel aged Imperial stout. Flavor, for me, was incredibly over-aged in the bourbon. It was sharp, alcoholic, acidic, bitter and just intensely dominated by the bourbon. Dry wood notes, stinging whiskey and light smokiness all make me cringe as I drink it. I did love the body, however, which was rich, creamy and thick to the last drop. As the beer finished and there was some respite from the barrel, a velvety, sweet chocolate flavor emerged, that had been hiding behind the barrel-flavors. This is the good part, and I thought it a shame that the barrel masked this through most of the flavor experience. Low carbonation, very well-made stout with a rich body, but just way too much harsh barrel-character, at least for my tastes. If this had a subtle barrel character, my score would be more like a 9/5/8/5/17
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Mar 2005
at 19:31